When a set of Mississippi parents decide to divorce, they must focus on the daily needs of the children and how they will be met. If the parents cannot agree on a parenting plan, a family court judge will focus on the best interests of the children when deciding custody and parenting time issues. Parents, too, want what’s best for their kids, which is why it is important to determine which type of child custody arrangement best fits a particular family’s needs.
It’s believed that the children who fare best in a divorce are most often those whose parents have agreed to a shared child custody arrangement. This is also referred to as “50/50 custody” or “dual residence” for children. In these cases, children rotate between their parents’ households according to an agreed-upon time schedule, which might be every other week or whatever timetable the parents have agreed to implement.
Can parents who do not get along still agree to shared child custody?
Some parents who have contentious relationships with their exes believe a 50/50 custody arrangement would not work in their case due to the high parental conflict. In fact, a current trend enables parents who can barely stand the sight of each other to successfully carry out a dual residence custody plan. It is called “parallel parenting,” which basically means that parents agree to share custody while limiting communication and interaction with each other to the barest minimum necessary.
An experienced Mississippi family law attorney can help a parent who has questions or concerns about child custody issues in a divorce. An attorney can also bring urgent matters to the court’s attention, such as if an ex is disregarding a court order or is intentionally impeding the parent/child relationship by denying access, lying to the kids or engaging in other parental alienation tactics. A parent can schedule a consultation to discuss a specific custody issue at any time.
